Today, cellular telephones have become one of the most popular ways of communicating with others, because of their mobility, convenience and ease of use. In fact, in every crowd, there may be someone talking on his or her cellular telephone.
Frequently, a cellular telephone subscriber (or the user of any type of wireless device) may need to have a conversation in an area where other people are present. In such a situation, it may not be possible for the person to go to a sparsely-populated area for privacy (e.g., a train, taxi, etc.). Thus, if the subscriber would prefer that his or her conversation not be overheard, the subscriber's only choices are to reschedule the call for a later time when other people will not be present, or to speak very quietly while still speaking loudly enough for the party on the far end of the call to understand.
Unfortunately, if the subscriber decides to place or take a call while in an area where other people are present, background noise may prevent the subscriber from being able to speak quietly. Instead, the subscriber may have to speak loud enough for the party on the far end of the call to understand, which may be loud enough to be overheard by other people near the subscriber. Furthermore, even if the background noise can be reduced on the far end of the call, the subscriber may not speak as quietly as possible. For example, the subscriber may speak louder than necessary, because he or she does not realize the party on the other end would be able to hear at a lower speaking volume. Thus, the subscriber's conversation may be heard unnecessarily in an area where other people may be, merely because the subscriber was unaware he could speak quieter even with the background noise.